News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-09-29
A STORY OF THE WAR.
a sPY's PECULIAR GOODNESS
A Man with a Memory and the Use
He Made of 1t.

Just before Sherman advanced on his
| Georgia campaign, man supposed to
be a rebel spy was one day arrested IN a
| Union camp. He was in Federal uni
form, but his look and language We're
Enthusiastically Southern. He claimed to
belong to regiment in another camp
about two miles away, and he was sent
to the guard house until his assertion
could be verified or disproved. | was
! officer of the day at camp that day, and
that is how [ came to learn so many of
the particulars of the affair [ am relat-
ing. It was in the camp of Wiscon-
sin regiment that the spy, who gave his
name as George Swift, was arrested.
He had come there ostensibly to visit
friends, but some of the boys had seen
him slyly taking notes, and he had
asked such questions as no private Fed
eral soldier would have any use for It
was pretty generally understood that
the COnfederates were using every eXer
ton to secure knowledge of Sherman's
strength and movements, and the boys
had no sooner got the idea that the
stranger was a spy than they gave in
formation to me, and [ put him under
arrest. I saw at glance that he was of
Southern birth. This was not so much
against him, for at that time we had
plenty of Tennessee and Kentucky men
with us.
"What command do you belong to 2"
I asked.
'The -th Illinois" he replied.
L asked what brigade and division,
who was his Captain, and various other
things, and he returned what seemed to
In Oh 20
When / asked who he had come to visit
in the Wisconsin regiment he was lame
He mentioned the name of a man no
one had ever heard of. 1t was on this
point alone that l held him. A mes
senger was at once sent after the Illinois
Captain named, and i'll about an hour
he appeared. The supposed spy was
taken to the tent of the brigade General,
and as soon brought face to face with
the Captain he saluted and said:
"Capt. Morton, the people here seem
to think | am rebel spy"
"And who are you?" queried the Cap
tain, plainly astonished.
"Do YOU ask that?" reproachfully in
quired the man. "Who should [ be
but George Swift, of your own COM
pany?"
''You can't be; I never saw you before
in my life"
"Why, Capt Morton!''
The two men looked at each other as
if doubling their own senses, and the
General asked of Swift:
"How long have you been with his
company"
"Four months, sir. came down as
q recruit from Pekin."
"Who is your orderly sergeant"
Sergeant White, sir.
"Who are your commissioned Off
cers?"
"Capt. Morten, First Lieut.. Green,
and Lieut.. Davis. The latter is home
on furlOugh.'
"How many men in the company"
& + Fl ift57=-t44iifsl}+,- ft5=4ifsl}7 sir.
WHO are your tent nates2'
"Oscar Jackson, Thomas Parker, and
John Pridgeon."
"Weu, Captain9 2" queried the Gener-
al, Us he turned to Capt. Morton.
The Captain was clean beat. He was |
dead sure that no such man belonged to !
his company, and yet the suspect had
answered every question as straight as
string.
''I'll stake my life that I never saw
this man before" the Captain finally
answered, and I know every man in
my company by name"
The spy was ordered to strip to his
shirt, and for the first time his GOODNESS
seemed to desert him. He reproached |
the Captain for permitting this indigni-
ty, but slowly disrobed. In one of his |
boot legs was pocket, and in this pock-
ct we found paper bearing figures as
follows.